Bulk solids, also known as bulk granular materials, are commodities that have relatively small particle sizes and are typically transported unpackaged in large quantities by ship, rail, or truck. Examples of bulk solids are grains, products from grains, and chemicals.
Bulk solids are handled (moved from container to container) using a variety of conveying equipment. Commonly used conveying equipment include conveyor belts, screw conveyors (also known as augers), drag flight conveyors, and pneumatic systems. Bulk solids are often loaded into bins by moving them to a central point above the bin and discharging them to pour down by gravity into the bin. The term “bin” is used herein to refer to containers of any type for bulk solids, whether resting on the ground or part of ships, rail cars, or trucks, and includes tanks, silos, hoppers, etc.
When bulk solids are poured onto a horizontal surface, a conical pile is formed. The internal angle between the surface of the pile and the horizontal surface is known as the angle of repose and is a function of the density, shape, surface area, and coefficient of friction of the bulk solids. Many bulk solids have angles of repose in the range of 30 to 45 degrees.
When bulk solids are poured into a bin from the discharge of a conveyor that is positioned in a central overhead location, the pouring must stop when the top of the conical pile reaches the top of the bin. Due to the angle of repose, unfilled space remains in the bin around the top of the perimeter. This wasted space often represents five or more percent of the total volume of the bin. To reduce the volume of wasted space, workmen sometimes manually shovel the solids into the voids. However, this is a slow and labor intensive process.
Baffles are used in various types of equipment to provide mixing and dispersion of solids. Pieces of equipment with stationary baffles are disclosed in McLemore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,515,725, Jul. 18, 1950; Girardi, U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,142, Jun. 28, 1966; and Connelly et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,429, May 31, 1994. Dillman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,213, Apr. 28, 1981, discloses an asphalt mixing apparatus with two separate, manually movable baffles in a chute that improve mixing. None of these pieces of equipment contains a flow diverter having multiple baffles that move in coordination.
Accordingly, there is a demand for an improved apparatus for diverting the flow of bulk solids into a bin from a central overhead discharge.